Alternative Comedy Fest allows comics to spread wings

Wednesday

Apr 30, 2008 at 12:01 AMApr 30, 2008 at 1:49 PM

The Alternative Comedy Festival will be at Somerville Theatre, May 9-10, and feature Patton Oswalt among other comics.

Francis Ma

Thanks to the tenacity of a select group of comedians, elements of vaudeville are creeping back into the comedy business. But don’t freak out when you hear the word “vaudeville” — this isn’t a man with trained dogs, or some guy spinning pie plates. This is the cutting edge of comedy.

It’s all about the venue. Instead of a dark comedy club with a two-drink minimum, cocktail waitresses and the occasional drunken heckler, comedians are going to theaters and rock clubs. Some comedians are even returning to opening for bands.

And the change in venue results in a change of style.

The trend has helped “non-traditional comics” like Patton Oswalt (from the “King of Queens” and the voice of Remy in “Ratatouille”) forge careers. In fact, so many are following suit that it has warranted a festival, a first of its kind. The Alternative Comedy Festival will be at Somerville Theatre, May 9-10, and feature Mr. Oswalt among other comics.

The idea for the festival came from Somerville native Brian Joyce during his stay in Dublin where he attended various independent comedy festivals.

“It’s something you don’t see over here in the States that often,” explains Joyce. “The way the Aspen Comedy Festival works, it’s very industry-driven. Everyone’s there to score a movie deal or a sitcom. With this festival, the comedians are just here to have fun and who cares if you get a movie deal?”

Joyce likes the idea of a locally run festival and says that he hopes it fosters an atmosphere where comedians and their fans can share a drink with each other at the local watering hole after the show.

But it’s also a chance for fans and professionals alike to embrace comedy as it was in the olden days — as an art form.

“One of the most frustrating things for comedians is that people don’t consider it art,” says Joyce. “And I guess when you’re in a comedy club and everyone’s drinking, you don’t get that feeling.”

The Somerville Theatre does serve beer, but it’s still a non-traditional venue in the comedy world, allowing comics to do some things they wouldn’t be able to in a club.

For example, performers could add music, or a homemade video, to their act.

“One thing I really liked about the comedy circuit in England was that it was very much like old vaudeville shows,” says Joyce. “There was no structure to them at all and there was this sense that the comedian could riff on anything for two hours because that was his room.”

Eugene Mirman, whose non sequitur humor prompted Esquire Magazine to call him equal parts Andy Kaufman and Andy Warhol, is such a comedian. He began his career at the Comedy Studio in Harvard Square. Eventually, like Oswalt, Mirman moved past comedy clubs to non-traditional venues, and he’s opened for bands like the Shins, Yo La Tengo, and Cake.

“It’s work in a different way than just doing a comedy show where people expect comedy,” says Mirman. “On the other hand when it goes well, which generally it does, it’s actually really fun and you totally reach a different audience. But you are constantly at the risk of a thousand people screaming at you.”

It’s tough to properly explain what Mirman’s comedy is like, which is probably what made him a prime candidate for an “alternative” comedy festival. He prefers off-the-wall observations: “If you’re walking down the street, it’s never funny to pick up a kid and run.”

Or …

“There has to be some stalking success stories…like someone saying I hung outside of her house for three weeks…and then we just clicked.”

Mirman sells his jokes with his nonchalant delivery. Like Kaufman, he likes taking the audience on a comedic journey.

“I have longer bits now,” says Mirman. “But I’ve never tried to connect disconnected thoughts for an audience. It’s like in a conversation and you think of something and you just say it and hope it comes out natural.”

The festival is a sort of homecoming for both Mirman and the art of comedy. The comedian returns to the area where his career started and comedy returns to its roots.

Fast Fact: In addition to posting videos and audio features on his website, Mirman also contributes to www.236.com, a funny political news site.

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